Eastern Gauteng indoor cricket team champs of the IPT
Winning the tournament was a dream come true for the team.
The Eastern Gauteng men’s cricket team won gold at the Inter-Provincial Tournament (IPT) held at ISE Boksburg – Gladiators Indoor Arena from July 12 to 15.
The tournament saw eight teams from six provinces participate in the men’s open and U21 categories.
Eastern Province walked away with silver medals for being second, while Western Province took the bronze medal.
According to the Eastern Gauteng team coach, Johan van Staden, the players had played for many years, and to win the men’s open trophy was the highest achievement.
“Our team was a young team with a lot of experience. We took it game for game and always made sure we had fun, not forgetting to give our best, and Eastern Province was a very experienced team we faced in finals,” said Van Staden.
He explained that they lost in the round-robins when they played against Eastern Province, and that’s when they knew they had to step up.
He added that they bowled first and restricted them to 30 runs in their innings.
“The bowling and fielding were exceptional. The game came down to the last over, where we got early wickets. The pressure was immense, but the guys showed what they were made of. It just all came together in that final, and we won by two runs in the end,” said Van Staden.
The coach said the best lesson they learnt at the tournament was that it was always best to listen to your players and consider their views.
Also read: Fighters dominated each other in exciting boxing matches
